Clothesline-supporting device



June 29 19.26.

W. J. JVHITEZ I CLOTHESLINE SUPPORTING DEVIE Filed May 29, 1922 s Sheets-Sheei i June 29,1926 1,590,659

, W. J. WHITE 7 CLOTHESLINE SUPPORTING DEVICE Filed May 29, 1922 s Sheets-Sheet z W. J. WHITE Jung 29 CLOEHESLINE SUPPOjRTING DEVI GE Fi led May 29, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented June 29, 1926.

' UNITED STATES W LLI M J-- H TE, F BH L E HIA, ENN$YLVA IAf CLO THESLINE-SUPPORTING DEVICE.

Application filed May 29, 1922; Serial No. 564,298.

One object of my present invent-ion is to provide an improved clothes line supporting device which can be readily erected in a yard of a dwelling so that after the clothes are secured to the lines they can be raised to such height that persons or vehicles can freely pass thereunder without touching the clothes. Owing to my improved construction, the device is of particular advantage for use in the yards of homes having garages so that automobiles can pass through the yard to and from the garage even though clothes are hanging on the device.

Another object is to make my improved device of a durable construction which can be cheaply and quickly manufactured and which can be readily operated to raise and lower-the clothes while on the lines.

Another object is to provide an improved and simplified construction embodying a transverse beam prop which will be opera.

tive when the lines are raised to support and slightly elevate the lines between their ends and which, when the lines are lowered, will be moved downward to allow the clothes to be readily removed from the lines. These objects, and other advantageous ends which will be described hereinafter, I attain in the following manner, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which 7 Figure 1 is a front elevation of a device made'in accordance with my present invention,

Figure 2 is a cross sectional elevation of said device showing the lines lowered,

Figure 3 is a view of the same general character as shown in Figure 2 illustrating the lines raised, Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary section partly broken away: the section being taken on the line 44 of Figure 3,

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary inverted plan view of certain of the parts,

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 2,

Figure 7 is a face view of one of two supporting carriages which Iemploy,

Figure 8 is a top plan view of said carriage, and v Figure 9 is a perspective view of a seouring corner channel angle which forms a part of my invention. 7

Referring to the drawings, my improved device includes a main supporting frame 10 raving two posts 11 and 12 which are made of channel metal with their lower ends em bedded within the ground 13 preferably by forming a pedestal of cement or concrete in which the lower ends of the posts are em bedded; said cement extending, into the ground '13. These posts 11 and 12 have their hollow channel spaces opposed to. each other and at their tops are provided with corner channel angles 15 and 16;- a detail of one of these angles being shown in Fig-urefl,

The lower legs of these channel angles embrace the tops of the posts 11 and, 1.2 andthe top or horizontally extending legs of the channel angles embrace opposite ends of a top channel '17 Bolts 18 and 19 extend through registering holes in the top channel and postsll and 12 and serve to secure the top channel to the tops of the posts. The posts and top channel are made of metal of sufficient strength as to form a rigidxfraine capable of supporting itself in the position shown in-Figure 1.

I provide two similarly constructed line connecting carriages 20, each of said care riages. including a frame 21 having a plate portion 22 with side flanges 23 which are arranged parallel; the flanges 23 having ex? tensions 24 which are spaced apart in the di: rection of the height of the carriages; said extensions at the top and bottom of the car riag-es being connected by integral cross iortions 25. These extensions form bearings for rollers 26; the peripheral surfaces of the rollers being spaced outwardly from the surface 27 of the plate portion 22 of each carriage, as clearly shown in Figure The opposite surface of the plate portion has a ledge 28 and above the ledges 28 on each of the carriages is secured an angle bar 29;

said bars being attached to the plate p'ortions of the carriages by bolts 30, The lower legs of the bars 29 have holes 81 spaced apart and within these holes are adapted to be hooked the ends 32 of S-hooks The opposite ends of the S-hooks have the ends of clothes lines 3e attached thereto; said clothes lines being of such length when attached to the hooks 33 as to extend from one carriage to the other when the carriages are mounted on the posts with the posts between the rollers 26 and the surface 27 of'the carriages. In fact the clothes lines 34' are made of suchlength that when thus attached they will be slack so that when not otherwise supported, they will bow slightly down-ward as shown in dot-anddash lines in their as clearly shown in Figure 3.

lowered position as illustrated in Figure 1. Stop members 35 in the form of strips which are secured to the posts 12, serve for abutment with the lower extensions 24 of the carriages 20 to limit the downward movement of said carriages such for example as shown in dot-and-dash .lines in Figure 1.

For the purpose of elevating the lines 34 from the dot'-and-dash line position-to the full line position shown in Figure 1; I provideth-e following hoisting mechanism: A yoke member 36 includes side flanges 37 which are bolted to the sides of the post 12; said yoked member as clearly shown inFigvure 6 including a transversely extending 38 of the member 36 has a pawl 46 pivotally connected therewith; said pawl having a part 47 adapted to engage the ratchet wheel 45 and lock the drum 40 against rotation.

The drum 40 has one end of a cable 48 secured thereto and the other end of said cable is connected by means of a triangular link 49 with two other cables 50 and 51 The cable 50 extends upward within the channel space of the post 12 and passes over a pulley wheel" 52 in a pulley block 53; said pulley block being swingably support-ed by an eye connection with the bolt 18 atthe top of the post 12. The opposite end of this cable 50 extends downward from the wheel 52 and is connected to an car 50 of the carriage 20 which is mounted on the post 12. The

I other cable 51 passes upwardly through the channel space of the post 12 and over a pulley wheel 54 in the pulley block 53. The cable 51 then extends horizontally under the channel space of the top channel 17 and passes over a wheel 55 in a pulley block 56 and then downward within the channel space of the post 11 and is secured to an eve 51 of the carriage 20 which is mounted on the post 11. The pulley block 56 is swing ably mounted on the eye connection with the bottom of the bolt 18 of the corner channel angle 15 as clearly shown in Figure 4. .Itwill thus be noted with the construction already described that by turning the lever 42. the carriages and lines 34 can he raised when the lever is turned in one direction or can be lowered due to their weight when the lever is turned in an opposite direction;

A cotter pin 44 or it being noted that the bars 29 have their lower leg portions in planes passing horizontally between the rollers 26 of each car riage so that said rollers will provide antifriction means and even though the weight on the lines 34 is considerable there will be verylittle friction between the carriages and the posts.

The cable 51 includes a link 57 within its length and tothis link'are attached two other cables 58 and59. These cables pass over pulley wheels in pulley blocks 60 and 61 respectively which are in flexible connectionwith eye bolts 62 which are secured t0v the sides of the top channel 17 preferably at a position midway between the posts 11 and 12.

Thus the pulley blocks 60 and 61 can swing on the eye bolts 62 for a purpose hereinafter rendered obvious. 59 extend at diverging angles downwardly secured adjacent the opposite ends of a horizontal prop 63; said prop extending under all of the lines 34. It will be noted that when the lines 34 and prop 63 are in their lowermost positions,,,as shown inFigure 2, that the cables 58 and 59 will extend upward at an acute angle to each other as shown in Figure2; the arrangement, when the lines and prop are elevated, requiring that the angular dispositionof the cables 58- and 59 The cables 58 and .from the pulley blocks 60 and 61, and are be more obtuse when said lines and prop' are raised as shown in Figure 3. This variation of the angle will cause a difference in the extent of movement between the carriages and the prop 63 so that when the carriages and prop are raised the prop will move a greater height and lift the lines 34 between their. ends as shown in full line positions in Figures 1 and 4. On the otherv hand, when the lines and prop are lowered, the prop will move to such level as toallow'the lines to. sag downward to facilitate the attachment of clothes thereto. To attain this difference in the extent of movement of the prop, the pulley blocks 60 andv 61 by being connected directly to the opposite sides of the top channel are much closer together than the points of attachment of the lower ends of the cables 58 and 59, to the prop.

By attaching the lines 34 by the S-hooks, it is an easy matter to remove or replace-any of the lines since it is merely necessary to unhook the structure from the holes of the bars 29.

While I have described my invention as taking a particular form, it will be understood that the various parts of my invention .may be changed without departing from the Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A clothes supporting device including 5 posts; a clothes line; a carriage movably embracing each post, each carriage being provided with a plate part having a ledge; an angle bar for supporting the clothes line resting on the ledge and secured to the plate 10 part, and means for raising the carriages on the posts.

2. A clothes supporting device including posts; a clothes line; a carriage movably embracing each post, each carriage being provided with a plate part having a pair of extensions on each side integral with the plate, cross portions connecting the extensions and rollers rotatable in the extensions; angle bars for supporting the clothes line secured to the plate part, and means for rais- 20 ing the carriages.

.In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

. WILLIAM J. WHITE. 

